1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cladding system utilized to suspend a plurality of cladding material panels, such as stone or marble material panels, from a surface of a building structure so as to achieve a decorative and uniform exterior appearance. The cladding system is highly versatile for use with strong, thick cladding material panels as well as thinner or more fragile cladding material panels and provides an easy to install uniform and aligned exterior surface appearance without compromising security and stability.
2. Description of the Related Art
Despite the fact that the general surface construction of most building structures has remained constant throughout the years, the exterior appearance given to building structures is a matter of constant architectural upgrading and variation as different systems and looks become popular. One such popular exterior surface appearance to building structures, and especially taller building structures, relates to the utilization of cladding material panels, such as from stone, granite or marble to cover the exterior surface of the building structure. While these cladding material panels could certainly be bolted directly to the exterior surface of the building structure, aesthetic requirements necessitate that whatever suspension structure is utilized to support the cladding material panels in place be configured to be concealed and thereby preserve an attractive and uniform exterior appearance between adjacent cladding material panels. To this end, a number of different cladding systems have been provided so as to suspend the cladding materials on the exterior surface of a building structure.
A most common type of cladding system utilized in the present art involves the utilization of a plurality of pegs or clips that extend into the upper and lower edges of each material panel. In particular, these clips or pins generally include an L or T-shaped construction which extends into a notch defined in a corresponding edge of the cladding material panel. Typically, two or more of these pins are utilized and are spaced along the upper and lower surfaces of the cladding material panels providing the primary means of support for each cladding material panel. Of course, such existing pin type cladding systems have a substantial number of attendant drawbacks associated with their use.
In particular, a primary difficulty associated with the conventional pin type cladding material type fastener is the fact that each pin concentrates the loads exerted thereby at a single point along the surface of the panel, and indeed, concentrates a break point or tension point of the material panel into the notch defined therein. As a result, because the notch is typically formed at a mid-point in the thickness of the cladding material panel, only approximately one half of the strength of the cladding material panel's thickness resists breakage at the location of the pins and indeed secures the panels in place. Moreover, such cladding material panels are very difficult to align based upon surface contours at the building structure. For example, if a securement point for a particular cladding material panel happens to be a weak point in a surface of the building structure, a user must none the less secure the pin at that point as no modification of the fastening point along the edge of the cladding material panel can be made on site, and no modification in the direction or the location of engagement with the wall surface can be made on site. Furthermore, if surface contours vary from place to place on the exterior surface of the building structure, as is often the case when covering existing building structures, the precise positioning and orientation of the adjacently positioned cladding material panels may need to be varied. Presently, the existing pin designs, if they are structured so as to accommodate securement of adjacent panels, do not provide any adjustability, such as for spacing between the panels and/or for spacing relative to a wall structure of the building.
Additionally in the art are other cladding systems, such as that developed by the present inventor in issued U.S. Pat. No. 5,673,529. Such systems are typically configured to provide for single panel securement and include alternative structures which do not allow for the adaptability and the adjustability of the present invention regarding the alignment and hanging of adjacent cladding material panels.
As a result, there is a substantial need in the art for a cladding system which will maintain adjacent cladding material panels securely in place in a substantially adjustable alignable manner relative to one another. Furthermore, such a cladding system should be substantially secured and stable, regardless of surface contours in the surface of the building structure and/or weak points in the surface of the building structure, and should maximizing the grip of the cladding system on the material panels, thereby permitting a variation in the style and nature of the cladding material panels utilized to include thinner more fragile material panel that would normally not have been usable in conventional cladding systems. Also, there is a need for a cladding system which provides increased stability and security between a cladding material panel and the surface of the building structure so as to prevent possible breakage and/or detachment of the cladding material panel from its secured position under adverse environmental condition, such as hurricanes and earthquakes.